A senior U.S. diplomat says that Washington's ties with Tajikistan do not come "at the expense" of Dushanbe's relations with Moscow.

Daniel Rosenblum, deputy assistant secretary of state for Central Asia, told RFE/RL on February 5 the United States views cooperation with Tajikistan as "being to the benefit of Tajikistan and the region as a whole."

Rosenblum said Washington knew that Tajikistan "has had and will continue to have close cooperation with Russia on security issues."

But he added the United States nonetheless believed it has a lot to offer in "security cooperation" that benefits the stability of Central Asia.

Rosenblum said the United States had not "avoided expressing our concerns and pointing out shortcomings and or deficits that we see in the human rights situation" in Tajikistan.

Rosenblum is on a tour of U.S. embassies in Central Asia, where some new ambassadors recently assumed their posts.